


Behind All Blue Eyes

by BrainDeadMaggot, Cyriusli



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:44:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrainDeadMaggot/pseuds/BrainDeadMaggot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriusli/pseuds/Cyriusli
Summary: Sanji is on the run from the Fae Kingdom of Germa in an attempt to get away from the life he had been forced to grow up in. Now old enough to cross through the portal in the palace garden, Sanji takes a chance, and steps through. On the other side awaits a world he’d only ever heard rumors about; the Mortal Realm. What Sanji discovers there, not only about himself, but those around him, is more than he ever could have asked for, and he’s going to keep it, no matter what it takes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's been a long, long time since I posted anything, and I know I have other works that aren't completed, namely Sediment and North, but I've come to you, along with my friend BrainDeadMaggot, with something new. We both really hope you enjoy this new fic, we've been working really hard on it.
> 
> This is really the first thing I have written since the New Year. I've had a rough first half of the year mentally, but I am starting to finally feel better. (Mental breakdowns SUCK, btw.) I haven't felt a want to really write a lot during the last several months, and I finally got the urge to want to write, and this was the result.
> 
> Both BrainDeadMaggot and I hope you enjoy this fic.

Sanji had seen the portal everyday for his entire life. It wasn’t that hard to miss since it was a large swirling vortex of pure white light that was in the exact center of the palace gardens. Even in the middle of the night, the portal made the surrounding area glow a pale white, illuminating anything that drew close to it.

Taking a deep breath, Sanji walked up the steps to come face to face with the portal. His expression stared back at him, his blue eyes wild — storming and raging, the normally bright blue of his eyes dark and gray — and showing just how scared he felt. His heart was pounding in his chest, sweat beading at his temple, and he felt that at any moment he would get caught. Looking over his shoulder one more time, letting his blue eyes scan the darkness of the garden, he turned back to the portal, his mind made up.

He was going to do this. There was no stopping him now, not when he was this close to the portal. This close to escaping. Raising his hand, Sanji realized he was shaking, but whether it was from fear or adrenaline, he couldn’t be sure; though it was probably a little bit of both.

Reaching out, he brushed his fingertips against the portal, feeling the magic pull at his hand as it bent to his touch. The portal reacted, glowing brighter in the night as Sanji pushed his hand further into the swirling vortex. Wind tugged at his hair, pulling it forward into his face, and he reached up, pushing it back with his other hand and held it in place.

“Just take a step forward,” he muttered to himself. “It’s only one step.”

Sanji swallowed thickly, and closed his eyes. He’d been playing this scene over and over in his head all day, it shouldn’t have been this hard to take that single step, but he was hesitating. Sanji knew why, even if he didn’t want to admit it out loud. He had no idea what was going to happen, what lay on the other side of the portal, or where he would end up. He had heard rumors, horrible, horrible rumors about the Mortal Realm, but anything had to be better than staying here. It just had to be.

Taking a deep breath, Sanji opened his eyes, and steeled himself against the worst possible outcome his mind could come up with. Even death would be better than staying here, he knew that; his body, mind, and soul knew that, too. With one last quick glance over his shoulder, knowing there was nothing left for him here, Sanji turned to face the portal and stepped through, hopeful of what lay on the other side.

* * *

The first thing Sanji noticed was that it was cold. He was shivering, and everything around him felt wet. Opening his eyes, he could see warm oranges and pinks through the bare branches of the trees that surrounded him. His brain told him it was a forest, but he’d never seen a forest that looked like this before. Besides the leafless trees, everything was covered in white; the same white that he was sitting in. Snow, Sanji realized, he was sitting in the snow.

His whole body shivering, Sanji stood, wrapping his arms around his chest in a feeble attempt to warm himself. He wasn’t dressed for this type of weather, hadn’t even thought about the fact that what lay on the other side of the portal was going to be cold. Still, it was better than the palace, even if he was sure he was going to die from freezing to death in this place.

“What on earth are you doing out here dressed like that?”

Sanji turned to the voice, seeing a creature walking toward him. Sanji could tell they weren’t human from the stature of the Mythic, but the brown fur, pointed ears, and a bushy tail certainly gave it away. “I didn’t —” he started, before he trailed off. It was hard to speak through chattering teeth, his body shivering too much for him to focus on much else than the cold.

“Sun’s going down. Come on.” This close, Sanji could see that the Mythic looked wolf-like in appearance, and something in the back of his brain told him that this creature was known as a lycan. The lycan took a few steps passed Sanji before pausing. “Name’s Brian, what’s your name?”

“S-Sanji,” he managed quietly.

Brain swiveled his ears forward and shifted the long, thin item in his arms. “I have a spare sweatshirt in my truck, it’s not much, but it will be warmer than what you are wearing for the time being. Come on, Sanji, unless your plan is to freeze to death out here. The temp is supposed to hit just below zero tonight. You’ll be dead by morning if you stay out here.”

Nodding quietly, too cold to speak, Sanji wrapped his arms a little tighter around himself.

Sanji followed Brain through the snow, staying in the rough trail he made as he moved. He studied the lycan’s back, noting the broad shoulders and sure posture. He’d only ever read about lycan, and everything he’d ever read had been nothing like how Brian was acting now. Brian was helping him, a complete stranger, without asking more than his name. The lycan in the books were bloodthirsty monsters who would stop at nothing for the kill.

When Brian pointed to a brown thing sitting among the trees, the sun had set. Brian opened a door for Sanji before walking around to the other side and getting in himself, but not before resting the thing he was holding in a rack in the window. Sanji stood for a moment looking over the inside of the contraption. It had a seat and lots of buttons and gadgets Sanji had never seen before. Brian held up a faded blue shirt that had been sitting on the seat. “Hope you don’t mind gray. It’ll be too big for you, but put that on, and climb in.”

Sanji nodded, wondering why Brian had said the shirt was gray, but he didn’t dwell on it as he pulled the shirt on over his head. It smelled musty, but he already felt a little warmer. Climbing onto the seat, Sanji closed the door, and tried to get as comfortable as he could. The seats were covered in a light brown cloth, but not the most comfortable seat Sanji had ever sat on before. Not the worst, either, so he didn’t voice his complaint.

Brian turned a key and the thing roared to life, startling Sanji when it did. Brian laughed. “Don’t be afraid, she may sound loud, but she’s harmless.”

“She,” Sanji asked, looking over to Brian.

“Yeah, the truck.” Brian patted the empty space between them. “Get buckled.” As he spoke, Brian turned, pulling a strip of cloth across himself and pushing it into a spot in the seat with a click.

Sanji followed suit, pulling his knees into his chest once he was done. He’d never ridden in a truck before, and he wasn’t sure what to expect, but Brian seemed calm enough about what was going on, and so Sanji tried to relax a little bit as he rode silently, and looked out the window.

It was hard to see now, it had gotten dark so quickly, but Sanji knew they were still in the forest. He could make out the outlines of trees by the light coming from the front of the truck. Brian turned a couple of the dials on the wall of the truck front, and all of a sudden warm air flowed into the truck. Sanji was a little taken aback by the magic, but after a moment to think about it, he realized it wasn’t all that strange after all. Mythics lived in the Mortal Realm, and some were sure to know magic.

Brian cleared his throat. “You from around here, Sanji?”

“No,” he replied simply. He was beginning to warm up a little bit, but not enough to feel comfortable. His toes and fingers were all tingly and sore, as were his nose and the tips of his ears.

“Can I ask you how you ended up in the middle of the woods in nothing more than a T-shirt?”

“I don’t know.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Sanji really didn’t know why the portal chose to bring him here; it wasn’t like he chose to end up someplace where it was cold and full of snow.

Brian hummed in response, and the two of them were quiet once more.

When Brian spoke again, it was after they had entered some sort of town. Sanji knew it was a town from the buildings he could see, but there was a lot he didn’t understand, too. There were all sorts of trucks, of all shapes and sizes, moving around, and lamps lit the strangely cobbled street. Brian brought the truck to a stop in front of a building with the word ‘Ymca’ on the side of it. “Wait here,” he said as he climbed out of the truck. “I’ll be right back.”

Sanji nodded, and silently watched as Brian walked to what appeared to be doors and disappeared inside. The cold was seeping back into the truck now that it was turned off, and Sanji shivered from the cold, watching his breath as he exhaled into the truck. He didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know what was going to happen next, but he knew it had to be better than what he’d been living; the kindness of the lycan proved that already.

Sanji sat up a little straighter when Brian, accompanied by someone else, walked back out of the building. While the other person locked the doors — Sanji could see the keys in his hands — Brian walked to where Sanji was sitting and opened the door. “Sanji, I want you to meet Zeff Sanders; he runs the halfway house just outside of town. He will take care of you.”

Sanji nodded, and turned to press the button that let the strap loose in the truck so he could exit, sliding from the seat to the ground slowly. He started to pull off the shirt Brian let him wear, when Brian stopped him. “Keep it, Sanji, don’t worry. You look like you can use it more than I can.”

“Thank you,” Sanji said quietly. “For everything. I don’t know how to repay you for —”

Brian laughed. “Repay; there is no need to repay me for anything. Just listen to Zeff, get yourself a hot shower, a good meal, and feel better.” Brian placed a hand on Sanji’s shoulder. “And welcome to North Hero. Zeff,” Brian continued as he walked around the truck. “Thank you for this! Enjoy the rest of your night. Happy New Year!”

“Yeah, Brian, you, too. Happy New Year.” Zeff waved a hand in the air before turning to Sanji. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked Sanji over. “You’re a Mythic, ain’cha boy?”

Sanji gasped, jumping away from the truck as it roared to life. Turning to look at the truck, Sanji then turned back to Zeff. “How did you know?”

“You just got that look about you. Come on, Sanji, is that it? That’s what Brian said your name was.”

“Yes, Sir.” Sanji nodded, and followed Zeff to where his truck was. It looked much different than the one Brian had, and Sanji carefully walked around it to the far side where he had been sitting in Brian’s truck. He waited quietly for Zeff to open the door for him, and was surprised when he was able to open it from inside the truck. Getting into the seat, Sanji closed the door, reaching for the strap to lock him into place. “What kind of truck is this?”

Zeff snorted in amusement. “This ain’t no truck, boy, it’s a Jeep.”

“Jeep.” Sanji repeated the strange word and nodded. “Why don’t you have a truck?”

“Don’t want one.” Zeff shifted some of the levers in the Jeep and moved it from where it was sitting the same way Sanji had seen Brian do. They were quiet for a few minutes before Zeff spoke. “So, where are you from, Sanji?”

Sanji was quiet a moment. He didn’t want to tell Zeff who he was, not really, but he knew he was going to have to tell Zeff something. He decided to go with the barest of truths. “I’m from the Germa Kingdom in the Fae Realm.”

“You’re a Fae, are ya?” Zeff nodded to himself. “I’ve met other Fae. You run away from home, too?”

“Yes, Sir.” Sanji nodded, and hoped Zeff didn’t press him for more information. Sanji had heard about Fae that had fled to the Mortal Realm, seeking refuge from the warring kingdoms. While Sanji’s reasons were much different, he wasn’t going to tell Zeff otherwise if that’s what he wanted to believe.

“No one’s chasing you, are they?”

“I don’t think so, no, Sir.” Sanji shook his head. He didn’t think his father would care enough to find him, but even if he wanted to, Sanji knew that it would take a long time before he was found, and he’d be long gone before that happened. As soon as Sanji had an idea of how the Mortal Realm worked, he would leave this small town, and go out on his own to be his own person.

“That’s good. Don’t want some random Fae showing up to destroy my home or nothing.” Zeff took a deep breath. “Well, Sanji, it’s just you and me right now. The rest of the house is out for the night, off to Burlington for First Night. I do have some spare clothing that I think will fit ya, though it might be a little too big.”

Sanji nodded. “Thank you, Sir.” he said, unsure of what else there was to say.


	2. Chapter 2

Zeff lived outside the town in the woods. The house was huge with large and open rooms downstairs, and a huge porch on the front of the house. Sanji stood awkwardly inside the doorway as he watched Zeff move about the large open room, flicking switches that caused lights to flare to life, and throwing his overcoat onto the back of a plush chair.

“Follow me, boy,” Zeff grunted at Sanji, waving a hand over his shoulder as he started up a set of stairs. Sanji followed along quietly, looking around as he went. He’d never been in a house like this before, and even though it was much smaller than the palace, he found he quite enjoyed the quaintness of Zeff’s home. Zeff opened the first door on the right as Sanji topped the stairs. He flicked a switch just inside the door. “You can sleep in here. The bathroom is down the hall on the left. There should be some clothes in the bureau.”

Sanji peered into the room. It was plain, nothing more than a bed and a bureau, but it was warm, quiet, and hopefully safe. A window with the curtain pulled shut was on the wall opposite of where they stood. He looked over to Zeff. “I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

“Don’t worry about it for now. I’ll get you a towel and a toothbrush so you can take a shower. Find some clean clothes. I’ll leave everything in the bathroom for you.” Zeff turned to walk away, but paused and looked over his shoulder to Sanji. “You do know how to use a shower, right?”

Sanji felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment as he shook his head. “I don’t even know what that is. I’ve only ever taken baths.”

Zeff chuckled. “All right. You get some clothes and I will show you how to use the shower.” With that, Zeff turned and walked down the hall, disappearing into another room.

Sanji stepped into the room, walking over to the bureau. Opening up the top drawer revealed some neatly folded shirts, and Sanji picked out a pale blue one that was resting on the top. Setting the shirt on the top of the bureau, Sanji closed the drawer and opened the second, finding pants. None of them looked very comfortable, all made out of a course material that felt weird to the touch, but he did find a pair of pants that were made of the same material as the shirt Brian had given him, though they were black in color. Pulling those from under the other pairs of pants, Sanji picked up the shirt and made his way out of the room and down the hall toward the bathroom.

Zeff came back out of the room holding a towel and a couple other things in his hand. He paused at the bathroom door, and held up a small package in his hand. “Toothbrush and toothpaste.” Handing that to Sanji, he held up a small towel. “Washcloth and, of course, a towel.” Placing that back on top of the big towel, Zeff handed them both to Sanji. “Shower. It’s really simple to use. Just pull the lever out, turn it to the temperature you want, and pull up the toggle switch. Shampoo is in the bottle on the wall, and soap is on the shelf.”

Sanji nodded, holding the towels and clothing against his chest. “I think I understand.”

“C’mere, boy. I’ll show you, then leave you to take a shower. Are you hungry?”

“A little, yes, Sir. I’m thirsty.” Sanji stepped into the bathroom behind Zeff and watched as he started the shower for him, explaining how Sanji would need to adjust the temperature to his own liking.

Zeff walked across the small room to the door. “I will start on dinner and make some tea. Just come downstairs when you are finished, all right?”

“Yes, Sir.” Sanji nodded as Zeff closed the door.

Setting his clothes and the towels down on the edge of the sink, Sanji took off the shirt Brian gave him, along with his own clothing. He shivered slightly at the cool air against his bare skin, and decided to turn his attention to taking a shower. He was intrigued in a way, wanting to discover more about the Mortal Realm, but a little afraid just the same. What if he didn’t like the shower; would he ever be able to take a bath again? Deciding to push the thought from his mind, Sanji pulled aside the curtain and tested the water for himself.

It was warm, but not too hot, and Sanji decided that hot water was what he needed to warm up, so he climbed into the shower, and closed the curtain behind him. He just stood under the water for a minute, taking in the idea of standing to bathe and letting the water run over his body.

Alone in the small room, the rushing water drowning out all other sound, Sanji felt a sob well in his throat, and he was unable to fight when it broke free of his mouth. He closed his eyes, and even with the warm water hitting his face, he could feel tears sting his eyes. He’d done it. He’d managed to get out of the Germa Kingdom, and so far — the measly few hours it had been at this point — had been so much better than anything he’d ever experienced in the palace.

Sanji could feel his body shaking, but it was for a completely different reason this time. The fear and anxiety he’d been trying to keep hidden was bubbling to the surface, and despite not knowing Zeff at all, Sanji felt safer here in this strange house in this strange land than he had in a long, long time. He wasn’t sure how he could make up for the kindness Zeff had shown him, but Sanji knew he had to.

Wiping a hand across his face, not that it helped, though it made Sanji feel better, he decided he needed to actually take a shower and not just stand there crying like a fool. Moving the curtain aside just enough to see the sink, Sanji grabbed the small washcloth, and began to clean the last remnants of the Fae Realm from his skin.

Once clean, out of the shower, and dressed in new clothing, which was much more comfortable than Sanji first thought it would have been, he dropped his dirty clothing in the doorway of the room Zeff let him stay in, and made his way back downstairs. Even from the top of the stairs, Sanji could smell food, and he followed the scent into the kitchen, pausing in awe when he stepped into the room.

The kitchen reminded Sanji of the kitchen in the palace, though it was smaller. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling over a central island, cabinets lined the walls, and there was a large stove that was nestled between more counter space. Zeff stood in front of the stove, and didn’t even bother to turn around as he raised a wooden spoon in his hand. “Sit, boy, sit. Food is just about done. Hope you’re hungry.”

Sanji quietly slid into one of the seats at the far edge of the counter. “I am actually.”

“Good!” Zeff looked over his shoulder to Sanji and smiled before reaching for a plate that was sitting on the counter next to him. “The water for tea is almost heated, too. I figured you could use a nice hot cup of tea.”

“Yes, Sir, that would be nice.” Sanji nodded as he rested his hands on the counter. Zeff turned and set a plate in front of him, then opened a drawer and handed him a spoon. “Eat up, now! Don’t let it get cold.”

“What is it?” As soon as Zeff set the food in front of him, Sanji heard his stomach growl, and he picked up the spoon eagerly.

“Vegetable fried rice. Law said one time that Fae are vegetarian.”

Sanji took a bite of the rice, chewing as he nodded. It tasted like perfection, the flavors blended together perfectly, and though Sanji had no real idea of what he was eating beyond rice, he didn’t really care. This was one of the best rice dishes he had ever eaten. “We are, yes, Sir.” Sanji spoke as he chewed, swallowing as he scooped up another spoonful of rice. “This is amazing.”

Zeff laughed. “This is a simple dish.”

Sanji shook his head. “No, what I cooked was simple.”

“Oh, you cook, boy?” Sanji glanced up at Zeff and could see a sparkle in his tired blue eyes.

Sanji set his spoon down and swallowed. “I, well, I try. I’m not very good at it.”

“I’m willing to bet you are better than those fools I work with at the YMCA, Patti and Carne. Those idiots can’t find their way out of a wet paper bag. Useless, that’s what they are.” Zeff shook his head.

“The YMCA,” Sanji asked, thinking about the spelling of the word. “It’s not pronounced Ymca? You say the letters?”

Zeff piled rice onto his plate and leaned back on the counter to face Sanji. “Yes, you say the letters. It stands for: The Young Mythics Club of America. I cook there.” Zeff took a bite of his food, and set his plate down as the kettle on the stove started whistling. Moving the kettle to the counter to rest on a trivet, Zeff pushed a metal tin of tea toward Sanji. “I’m the head chef actually. Pick what kind of tea you would like. I have black tea, green tea, and green tea with lemongrass in it.” Zeff pointed to the box. “There might be something else in there, but I don’t know for sure.”

Sanji looked at the tea in the box, in several different colored packages, and picked out a green colored packet since he wasn’t able to read the writing that was on it. Opening the package, he dropped the bag into the cup and Zeff poured water in on top of the teabag. Sanji went back to his food, trying to pace himself so he didn’t choke, but now that he was eating, he realized just how hungry he really was.

Zeff made himself a cup of tea as well, and the two fell quiet as they ate. Sanji found he didn’t mind the silence, and when he emptied his plate, Zeff took it and heaped on more food, wordlessly handing it back to Sanji so he could keep eating. “Tomorrow,” Zeff finally spoke, setting his empty plate down by the sink. “Tomorrow I want you to come to work with me. After we get a few things out of the way in the morning, I want to see what you can do in the kitchen.”

Sanji sipped his tea, holding the cup tightly between his hands. “I’ll just get in the way.” He took a deep breath, holding it as he thought about all the times he’d been thrown out of the kitchen when little when he tried to learn to cook from the chefs in the palace.

Zeff took a deep breath. “That’s for me to decide.”

* * *

Zeff woke Sanji just as the sun was coming up, made them a quick breakfast, and ushered Sanji out the door after giving him a winter coat and a pair of heavy winter boots. Sanji was still wearing the shirt and pants he had been wearing the night before, and while Sanji had tried to leave the house in his shoes, Zeff had only shook his head and told him it was much too cold for those flimsy shoes. Sanji did have to admit, as he sat shivering in the passenger side of the Jeep waiting for it to warm up — Zeff had explained a little bit about the Jeep before they went outside — he was much warmer than he had been the night before.

Still, Sanji didn’t know what to expect or make of this small town he’d been sent to. In the other seat, Zeff turned a dial, and heat flooded into the front where they sat. “It will take a minute to warm up,” Zeff said idly.

Sanji nodded, and looked out the window, distracted by how bright the snow looked, and how clear the sky was despite it being the middle of winter.

“When we get to the Y,” Zeff started, and Sanji looked over at him. He glanced at Sanji before looking back to the road ahead of them. “I want you to go see our doctor. Not that I think there is anything wrong with you, but I’m only human. I don’t know much in the way of health or illnesses when it comes to Mythics.”

“You knew what I am though.” Sanji frowned, relaxing into the seat of the Jeep a little as it grew warmer.

Zeff nodded. “That I did.”

The two were quiet the rest of the ride, and while the quiet made Sanji a bit nervous, he was beginning to realize that Zeff just didn’t say much. Sanji tried to not let the silence bother him, but a part of himself was anxious at the silence. A small part of him found comfort in it though. Zeff wasn’t prying, and Sanji found that helpful as he did want to move forward and start over with his life.

Sanji noticed Zeff stopped the Jeep in the same place he had it the night before, but now there were other trucks in the parking lot. Zeff laughed, and Sanji realized he had spoken out loud. “Those are cars, boy. Not everything is a truck. Car will do.”

“Oh.” Sanji nodded and unbuckled himself; another thing Zeff had taught him. Sanji didn’t realize he would have so many new things to learn in the Mortal Realm, but he was finding that so far, he was quite enjoying it.

“I’ll show you to the doc, and leave you in his care. He can show you around the rest of the Y and when you are done, you can come find me in the kitchen, all right?”

“Yes, Sir.” Sanji nodded, still shivering as they walked across the small space to the doors of the building.

The doors led into a large and open room. Sanji could only describe it as a ballroom, but he knew this wasn’t a place for dancing. The floor and lighting were all wrong, plus he’d never seen a ballroom that had bleachers in it. Zeff walked across the polished floor toward a door on the other side, and Sanji walked after him, making sure he didn’t step on any of the lines that were on the floor in case they activated some sort of magical effect.

Ahead of him, Zeff laughed. “Never seen a basketball court, boy?”

“A what?”

“Basketball. You know, the game.” Sanji shook his head, which only made Zeff laugh more. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you will figure it out. The young adults that work here, and the kids that come; they will all be more than willing to teach you. You aren’t the first Mythic we’ve had that didn’t know how to fit in.”

“Oh.” Sanji felt embarrassment flush his cheeks. Pausing, he looked around the room once more, then followed Zeff through the small door.


	3. Chapter 3

On the other side of the door was a long and windowless hallway. Lights buzzed overhead, and Zeff started down the hall without even bothering to look back at Sanji. He followed quietly, listening to the squeak of their boots on the floor as they walked. Everything seemed too loud to Sanji’s ears, and felt himself try to make himself smaller as he moved, hunching his shoulders and burying his nose into the collar of his jacket.

Zeff stopped in front of a door, and reached out for the handle. “The doctor’s in here. He probably won’t do much more than talk to you, but it’s still a good idea. We can get you an appointment with the local doctor if something is really wrong with you.” Opening the door, Zeff peeked his head inside. “Law, I have the new stray I messaged you about.”

A voice floated out of the door into the hall. “Send him in.”

Zeff pushed the door open more. “Will you show him around afterward, Law? I have some inventory, and other things to do this morning.”

“I have some things to attend to, honestly, but I can bring him out to meet the counselors, maybe one of them can do it. I think Usopp and Zoro are here today.”

“Yeah, that would be a great idea. Thanks, Law.” Zeff moved to walk passed Sanji, pausing to rest a hand on his shoulder. “You’re in good hands, boy.”

Zeff walked away without another word and Sanji stood there in the hall watching him go before he turned back to the door and took a step inside, quietly closing the door behind him.

The office was plain with a large desk in the center of the room, and bookshelves lining the walls. A small and flat black box rested on one side of the desk, a stack of books and a mug on the other side. Behind the desk sat a Mythic, Sanji was able to tell that right away by the books that were levitating in front of him and blocking his face from Sanji’s view. “Sit,” the man started, pointing to one of the chairs. “I’m Law. I will be with you in just a moment.” There was a pause. “Sorry, Zeff didn’t tell me a name.”

“Sanji,” he said as he moved to sit in one of the seats. They weren’t the most comfortable, metal with a flimsy cushion, but Sanji was finding a lot of seats in the Mortal Realm weren’t comfortable.

“Sanji,” Law questioned, pushing a book to the side where it bobbed quietly. The questioning look on Law’s face dropped as he stood sharply and slammed both hands onto the desk. The floating books fell to the floor with a bang. “You’re a Fae!”

Sanji flinched at the loud noise, but nodded.

Law stared at Sanji in what Sanji could only think was disbelief before something darker flickered across his eyes as he scowled. Sanji could hear Law’s fingernails scrape across the wood of the desk as he spoke. “Your royalty,” Law spat. Sanji felt as if his heart dropped into his gut. Panic clawed up Sanji’s throat as he tried to swallow, unable to breathe as it seemed like his breath caught in his lungs. Law’s hands were now tight firsts. “Germa royalty.”

Sanji’s heart was racing in his chest as he leaned farther back into the chair. He gripped the edges tightly. The thought that he would be recognized never even crossed his mind; this was almost worse than before. “Yes,” he breathed out, voice barely above a whisper. Sanji wasn’t even sure he actually spoke.

Law nodded, and laughed. It was humorless, and Sanji could tell Law was beyond upset. “So, what? They send you to finish the job? Can’t have any of the Flevance Kingdom left alive?”

Sanji opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He just shook his head. He wanted to run, but he didn’t know how to get out of this building, or where to go even if he did. He looked up to Law, and met his eyes, seeing the gold ring of his iris glowing with the overhead lighting of the room. Sanji swallowed. “You-you’re from Flevance?”

Law scoffed. “Like you didn’t know that.”

“I’d heard what happened,” Sanji mumbled. Everyone knew about Flevance, and the plague that the Germa Kingdom released upon them. All the Flevance Kingdom had wanted was to work with the Mortal Realm, learn more about science and other methods of healing outside of magic, but the other Fae Kingdoms had rejected the idea, and in the end it cost the Kingdom everything. “I didn’t know anyone survived.”

“Yes, well, I did! You knew what you were doing, didn’t you? You knew what could happen if you released that plague upon us!”

“I wasn’t — I didn’t —” Sanji tried to push himself farther into the chair. His entire body was shaking, and he couldn’t breathe. His boots, wet from the melting snow packed into them, slipped across the smooth flooring.

Law was leaning over the desk toward him and Sanji could see the scars on his skin that Sanji had no doubt were remnants leftover from the plague. Suddenly, Law leaned back and dropped into his chair. With a deep sigh, he ran his hand through his hair. “You really don’t know, do you? I can see it in your eyes.” Law ran both his hands over his face and groaned. “Shit, you’re not even old enough to be here.” He dropped his hands to the desk, eyes going wide. “Wait; how  _ are _ you here?”

“I went through the portal.” Sanji spoke plainly. There was no harm in telling Law that much, everyone who figured out he was a Fae was going to assume that anyway. It was what Law knew about Sanji beyond that bit of common knowledge that scared him. His heart was still racing in his chest, but now that Law was sitting, Sanji at least felt like he could breathe again.

“Yeah, I got that, but you and I both know you can’t get through the portal until you are a certain age.”

“I’ll be eighteen in March.” Sanji was finally able to take a deep breath, and looked down to his clasped hands in his lap. He was shaking, and he tightened the grip he had on his own fingers. “It’s not what it looks like. I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t come here to hurt you.”

“No.” Law leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he inhaled deeply. “No, I can tell that now. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Sanji, you said your name was. I know you’re one of the Germa princes, I can tell by your eyes, but that doesn’t explain why you came here.”

“I don’t know how I got here either. I just wanted to get away.” Sanji swallowed thickly. He was trying not to cry, a new fear of Law taking him back to the Fae Realm rushing through his thoughts. “I don’t want to go back.”

Law snorted in what Sanji thought may have been a laugh. “You’ll get no argument from me there.” He took a deep breath and leaned his head back against his chair. “We aren’t in the business of returning runaways here, lucky for you. A fucking Fae Royal.” Law shook his head. “I’ll be damned.”

Sanji watched as Law stood up, picking up one of the books off the floor and setting it down on the desk. “So, you’re seventeen, almost eighteen.” Turning, Law picked up a small board and wrote something down on it. “Vinsmoke, I assume.” There was hatred in Law’s voice, and despite everything that had just happened, Sanji couldn’t have agreed with Law more.

“Don’t call me that. I’m not one of them.”

Law tapped the board with his writing utensil. “I’m pretty sure the Germa royalty are —”

“ _ I ran away _ ,” Sanji snapped as he stood. With a gasp, he realized what he had said and fell back into the chair. Law simply raised an eyebrow at him, and scribbled something else down on the board. “I ran away,” Sanji said again, much quieter. “I don’t know how I got here. All I did was step through the portal.”

“Well, not much we can do about it now.” Law set the board down on the desk. “Just don’t expect me to refer to you as ‘your highness.’ Or anyone else for that matter.”

“I don’t want that anyway.” Sanji shook his head. “I just want to start over.”

“We’ll see.” Law shook his head and turned for the door. He pulled a jacket off a hook on the wall and opened the door. “Come on, might as well bring you to the counselors. You’re Fae, so unless you’re bleeding from somewhere I haven’t seen yet, you’re more than likely healthy.”

Sanji followed along behind Law, still worried, but thankful that Law wasn’t going to expose who he really was. The last thing he wanted was for there to be a rumor that he was here. He didn’t want to be found, that was the truth.

“I suggest you tell Zeff,” Law said as they approached a door. Through the window, Sanji could see several people running around, and heard muffled laughter. “He should know who you are, even if you don’t want anyone else to know. If you are staying with him, he deserves to know.” Law pulled open the door and stepped through, before turning back to point at Sanji. “Also, if you don’t tell him, I will, and I guarantee my version of your family will be vastly different than your own.”

“Doubtful,” Sanji muttered as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed Law through the door back out into the snowy morning.

* * *

“Okay,” Zoro started, looking around to the small group of children that were looking up at him with bright eyes. “It’s the last day of winter break, so you know what that means.”

“Snowball fight,” everyone yelled at the same time.

Zoro laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. Snowball fight. Now, you remember the rules, right? No aiming for heads, and no ice. The first person I see with ice in their snowballs, or throws a snowball at someone's head, gets sent to Zeff for kitchen duty, understood?”

“Yes,” everyone muttered.

“All right, spread out.” Zoro waved a hand in the air and watched as the kids all dashed across the open yard to different spots where they started collecting snow to make into balls. “You have five minutes to prepare.” Zoro pulled his phone from his pants pocket, and noted the time. He knew he needed to make some snowballs, too, so he stuffed his phone back in his pocket, and pulled on a pair of winter gloves that had been tucked into the front pocket of his hoodie.

Picking up some snow to pack into a ball as he moved, Zoro walked over toward one of the soccer goals, the snow thick, heavy, and perfect for snowballs. Stomping a small spot into the snow, he set about making a pile of snowballs for himself to throw at the kids. Looking over his shoulder, he made sure that they were out of the line of sight of the office windows because if he got caught in a snowball fight again with the kids, he was more than likely going to get his ass fired.

Once he had a nice pile, he pulled off one glove and checked his phone. “Times up,” he yelled, and instantly regretted it as a volley of snowballs came flying toward him. “Hey!” Ducking behind the goal post didn’t help him any, but Zoro wasn’t overly worried as most of the kids had horrible aim anyway. The kids’ laughter got him laughing, too, and during the momentary lull before more snowballs he picked up a couple from his pile and threw them toward the kids.

“Zoro-ya!”

Zoro cringed at being caught before he realized it was Law yelling to him. Calling a personal timeout for himself, Zoro made his way over to where Law was standing with a blond that he’d never seen before. “Hey, Law,” he started, gesturing to the blond. “New guy?”

“Yes. This is Sanji; Sanji, Zoro. He’s one of the counselors here at the Y.”

“Hey.” Zoro waved.

“Hi,” Sanji replied quietly, avoiding Zoro’s eyes, and Zoro glanced over to Law, looking for answers.

Law took a deep breath. “All I know is that he is staying with Zeff at the halfway house.” Law shivered slightly, and pulled his hat a little lower over his ears. “Would you mind showing him around a little, then taking him back to Zeff? I have to get back to the office, I was in the middle of some research when Zeff brought Sanji to me.”

“Yeah, no —”

“Zoro, duck!”

Zoro bent down on reflex, ducking out of the way as a snowball flew over his head to hit Sanji square in the face. “Oh shit,” Zoro turned to the kids. “Who threw that? What did I say?”

“It was an accident,” one of the older kids, a cervitaur named Chopper, stepped forward. His ears dropped against his hair in embarrassment.

Behind Zoro, Sanji was sputtering, and Law was helping to calm him down, trying his best to keep the laughter out of his voice. Normally, Zoro knew he would be laughing, too, but he was working right now, and had to be a good example to the kids. He took a deep breath. “I’m sure it was, Chopper, but the rules are still the rules. You apologize to Sanji — he’s new — and then off to Zeff. I can bring you down myself, if you want.”

Chopper took a couple steps forward, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I hit you with a snowball, Sanji. I didn’t mean to.”

Zoro looked over to Sanji, waiting to see what his reaction would be. Sanji was still brushing snow from his jacket, thankfully Chopper didn’t pack his snowballs too tightly, but paused to look up to Chopper. “It’s all right,” he said quietly, giving Chopper a weak smile.

Zoro was impressed with Sanji. He half expected him to get upset with Chopper. “I’m going to go see Zeff,” Chopper mumbled before he trotted off toward the door.

“Wait up, Chopper!” Zoro shook his head. “He hates getting in trouble, but he is always ready to serve his time when he does. Usopp!” Zoro turned back to the rest of the kids.

“Yeah,” called the older teen as he made his way through the crowd of children.

“You’re in charge, I gotta make sure the new guy makes it back to the kitchen.”

“Can do, boss man.” Usopp saluted Zoro and turned back to the rest of the kids. “Snowball fight is back on!”

Zoro chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to Sanji and Law. “Okay, Law, you go do whatever you need to, and I will take Sanji to the kitchen.”


End file.
